Brian Schweitzer eyes 2016, makes anti-Hillary Clinton case

Former Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer is considering a 2016 presidential bid, a new report says, offering the possibility of a populist candidate who would lay out the case against Hillary Clinton.

“There’s a whole lot of America that looks at each other and says, ‘Well, there’s 340 million people living in America. Isn’t there somebody other than a Bush or a Clinton who can be president in these modern times? Isn’t there hope for somebody who’s running a business or who has served overseas or comes from a different occupation to become president? Are we now in the era of royalty again?’” Schweitzer of Montana told RealClearPolitics. “So I think there’s some level of frustration about that.”

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Schweitzer’s candidacy would be a long shot. Over the summer, he looked poised to be his party’s Senate nominee, but that trajectory abruptly ended when Schweitzer said he wanted to stay in Montana instead — an announcement that came as Democratic leaders reportedly grew concerned about his potential vulnerabilites (a Republican party spokesman said opposition research showed “a lot of rust under Schweitzer’s hood.”) He also had shaky ties with some Democrats in the state.

But Schweitzer, with his folksy approach and record of success as a Democrat in a red state, said his pitch would play well in early primary states.

“I still hold the people of Iowa and New Hampshire in high regard,” he said. “The people of Iowa are a whole lot like the people of Montana. And, of course, New Hampshire’s a lot like Montana. We don’t have a sales tax. ‘Live Free or Die’ — we understand that notion in Montana.”